OK, this is not that serious.
Hear me out before you judge.
The purpose of an exam is to evaluate how much has been learned. What if the child has not prepared at all? They are bound to fail, yes? If we help them cheat, they score well - I know you're thinking I have gone full psycho by now, but hold that thought.
What about the ones who studied and scored well without having to cheat? We are failing them, no? There will be a disparity with the students knowledge but the grades will be the same? And what happens when they enter higher education or workforce without knowing anything? Gasp!
Example corona batch. Example quota students. Example donation kids. Example nepo kids.
Well well well.
Life doesn't happen in the black and white. It happens in the grey. Its messy, ugly, chaotic and unfair. The job of teachers, leaders and reformers is to create fair and equal opportunities but also to prepare the child for the real world.
My crime - I gave away the questions before the exam to all my students.
Five weeks ago, I questioned one girl in my class why she did not prepare for the revision test despite me chasing her everyday and sending her reminders and what not. She looked at me fighting tears but she was enraged. Female rage is real. She spoke softly but she was screaming on the inside.
She hated that I thought her life is all about just going to college and studying for the course I was teaching. In reality, she was battling an alcoholic father, a bone tired mother who was a house help, siblings who needed help with getting ready to school, cooking for them, upkeep of the house and her own mental health which was in the gutter.
She is 18. There were literally 3 people helping me get ready to school when I grew up. I remember it vividly. Life is not the same for everyone. I held back and listened to her patiently. She spoke for 30-40 minutes till she had nothing more to say. I told her exams should be the last of her worry. Exams are for evaluation but learning is for life. Just remember it is important, and make time for it whenever you can. You are already doing more than many.
And this path you are going through right now is also a learning and training which in the journey of life, will be rewarding. No pain is wasted. Besides don't get fixated on the score. Its just a number. In the long haul it will be insignificant. But don't ever think learning, or studying is a chore or an inconvenience. Education will change your life.
I decided to help her now because it was still a term test and being a teacher especially in Indian culture where teachers are next to parents, I had to do something. My responsibility is also for the child's emotional and mental well being, not just for explaining the syllabus.
Btw, do I feel guilty about it? meh.
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